"Better off" is a relative term...however, I occasionally have 4 bedroom homes in certain areas that WILL generate more income if rented to a group of roommates, in my specific cases college students or recent grads.

As I recall way back in my graduate rental days (in Southern Illinois) most rental properties to students were a wreck because 1. they were cheap housing to poor students and 2. students did their best to help wreck them.I remember a fellow I barely knew (proudly) commenting that he and his roommates final "goodbye" before exiting their furnished apartment was to drink a six pack of beer and then urinate on the mattresses and couch and easy chair.

I will stay in one unit, but have a roommate paying $300-400 per month for a year and rent the second apartment for $825.

If your place is nicer or cheaper than other rentals, some students might still spring for a 1 year lease even if they only plan to live there during the school year.With students, you could end up with more wear and tear, more roommate situations, more noise, more parties, more needing co-signors, and also a much wider prospective tenant pool.

But then again, I am coming from the military, and you do not pick your room mate, you are assigned one, and it is a WHOLE lot of effort to get them replaced.

I co-leased a house with a friend, and he wants to add a third roommate.

Was thinking of getting a roommate but it's nice having a place to yourself, especially after all those years in college sharing a place with 3-4 roommates.

She was the property manager on his rental and would let him and his roommates out of their lease early with no penalties if he used her, so he felt obligated, but it was a struggle as she was constantly pushing for a higher offer during negotiations, even trying to get him to pay more in closing costs, definitely not his best interests in mind.

Depending on the financial resources of your "roommates" it may be too expensive to try to hold them financially accountable.

That might prevent you buying a big house and having a half dozen roommates.